Auto paeking system



Feb. 9 1926. 1,5726% J. L. LYNCH AUTO PARKING SYSTEM Filed Jan; 11, 19244 Sheets-Sheet l Feb. 9, 192 1,572,664

J. L. LYNCH AUTO PARKING SYSTEM Filed Jan. 11, 1924 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 J.1.. LYNCH AUTO PARKING SYSTEM Feb. 9 1926.-

4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed Jan. 11, 1924 ,lI/b

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JOSEPH L. LYNcrI, or OAK PARK, ILLINOIS.

AUTO PARKING SYSTEM.

Application filed January 11, 1924. Serial No. 685,506.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JosErH L. LYNCH;

a citizen of the United States, and a resident of the village of OakPark, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certainnew and useful Improvements in an Auto Parking System; and I do herebydeclare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description ofthe same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to thenumerals of reference marked thereon, which form a part of thisspecification.

This invention relates to an auto parking system comprising carelevating and parking units adapted for forming part of a garage. v

At the present time, especially in large cities, a' great deal ofdifliculty is encountered in public garages where numerous persons keeptheir automobiles in the day time. It frequently requires a long timefor a person to get his car when he desires it. t may require a gooddeal of maneuvering to get the car out of the garage. Again,

when a garage has several floors and thecars are raised and lowered byan elevator, a great deal of time is necessary to lower the cars, one ata time, at the close of business, and while nearly everyone wants hiscar at the same time, some are required to wait a long time. system, anattendant at the garage is often required to operate the car and as heoften not familiar with the different auto:

mobiles, injury might result.

It is an object of this invention to over come the above notedobjections in the provision of a parking-system comprising car elevatorsand parking units, each having a plurality of spaced platforms forpark-- ing cars that-travel in an'oblong vertical path and upon which adriver or chauffeur may drive and lock his car. hen the platform hasbeen filled with cars the elevator may be operated to bring anotherplatform into operative position for receiving In removing the cars theelevator is properly operated to bring the desired car in properposition with respect to the floor and drive way, whereby the driver orchauffeur may readily unlock and drive his car from the garage.

The invention further contemplates an arrangement of such storageelevators, each of which comprises a separate operable unit in theFurther, in the present which will become more apparent in the followingdescription and disclosures, this invention comprises the novelmechanism and combinations hereinafter described and more particularlypointed out and defined appended claims.

In the accompanying drawings which 1 lustrate a preferred embodiment ofthis invention and in which similar reference numerals refer to similarfeatures in the different views:

On the ,drawings Figure l is an elevational and broken view of anelevator comprising one unit.

FIOHIG 2 is a sectional View through the elevator.

Figure 3 is an enlarged fragmentarv elevational view ofthe elevator. L Figure 4 is a view similar to Figure 2 illustrating a slightly differentmanner of sustaining the platforms.

Figure 5 is an enlarged fragmentary end elevational view of theelevator.

Figure 6 is an enlarged detail sectional view of the roller guide.

Figure '7 is a diagrammatic view of one manner of arranging thedifferent elevator units.

Figure 8 is a. diagrammatic view of another manner of arranging theelevator units.

As shown on the drawings:

In the drawings, I have illustrated an ele ator unit and havediagrammatically shown how these units may be arranged to facilitate thehandling of cars in a garage. 1 will first proceed to describe ene ofthese units and the operation thereof and then describe how they may beadvantageously arranged.

Referring to Figure 1, it will be noted that a portion of each carelevator and. parking unit extends in a basement, cellar or the like,with which the garage should be provided. Suitable apertures areprovided in the floor 1 for receiving the elevator. Each unit consistsof a pair of upper sprocket wheels 2 and a pair of lower sprocket wheels3. The upper sprocket wheels 2 are secured in proper spaced rela tionupon a shaft 4- which may be suitably" journalled in some solid support.The lower sprocket wheels 3 are similarly secured in the same spacedrelation as the upper sprockets upon a shaft 5 journalle'd in a suitablesupport in the basement or the like.

Strong sprocket chains 6 are trained oyer the aligned sprockets 2 and 3,and platforms 7 are carried by these chains. which are supportedtherebetween. These platforms may be supported by hangers 8 attached tothe chains 6 at their upper ends by a bolt 6 or the like, as shown inFigure 5, and attached at their lower ends to the platforms 7 either asshown in Figure 2 or as shown in Figure at. In Figure 2 the hangers Sextend below the platform and diagonal braces 8 brace the platformswith, respect thereto. In Figure 4; upper diagonal braces S connect thehangers 8 with the platforms 7. The platforms are so spaced verticallythat one automobile may be readily accommodated between them and thesprocket wheels 22 and 3-3 are so spaced that the chains supportedthereby will be sufficiently spaced apart to accommodate platforms thatwill support two cars side by side.

Adjacent each sprocket chain 6', there is an oblong guide 9 whichconsists of a pair of spaced members 10 and 11, Figure 6. A roller 12rotatably supported by each hanger 8 and travels in the guideway of saidguide. The outer member 11 of said guideway is cut out at its upperportion as indicated at 1 3' to allow the connection of the hanger 8with the chain to pass therethrough. Likewise, the inner member 10 ofthe guideway is provided with cut-out portions for a similar purpose asshown in Figures 2 and 4. This guide may be sustained in any suitablemanner. Its function is to guide the platforms in their travel andmaintain the same in proper relative positions. The shaft 4 or 5 of eachelevator unit is adapted to borotated by a motor or the like (notshown). Rotation of either shaft will obviously cause the two sprocketchains to travel with the result that the platforms upon one side of theaxis of the sprockets will rise while those 011 the other side willdescend. It will therefore be possible by merely operating the chains 6to bring any particular platform in alignment with the floor uponwhatever side of the axes of the shafts a and 5 it may be mostconvenient to drive from the garage.

These elevator units may be arranged and spaced in various ways. InFigure 7, I have illustrated two series of units; the units in each.series being in staggered relation. The units A are staggered inwardlyof the units 1). These two series of units are spaced apart to provide acentral driveway D therehetwcen which leads to the units A. The units Bare accessible from drive ways D and D upon the outer side thereof. Thecars which are illustrated by the reference C may hence be readilyparked or delivered and require no turning movements on account of thestaggered. relation of the units. It is, however not necessary tostagger these units to afford ready access thereto, since the ar'angenient shownin Figure 8 may be used in which the units are instraight series sufticiently spaced apart to provide an adequatedriveway D therebetween. The cars C may be readily run through thisdriveway and steered upon the platform of the units as is obvious,

This novel system of parking cars in a garage expedites and facilitatesthe procedure thereof since a driver can run his own car into the garageand upon a platform of a unit and lock the same in position thereon. Theunits and platforms may be appropriately numbered or lettered. and acard or tag, may be given to each person parking a car therein,designating the unit and platform that contains his car. i-K-c'cordinglywhen he calls for his car it is only necessary to operate the particularunitto bring the desired platform in alignment with the floor andadjacent the gi'iide-way. The said person may thenenter his car, unlockthe same and drive from the garage.

It. will be appreciated that each driver may run his car into and out ofthe garage himself, and that no matter in what unit the desired car maybe parked, whether it be in the basement or above the 001', or upon theopposite side of the unit from the driveway, the said unit can bequickly operated to bring the car intoproper position adjacent thedriveway so that the driver can quickly run his car off the platformandout of the garage without appreciable delay.

I am aware that numerous details of construction may be varied through awide range without departing from the principles of this invention, and1 therefore do not purpose limiting the patent granted hereon, otherwisethan necessitated by the prior art.

I claim as my invention:

1. In a garage, a series of car elevating and parking units, whereinsuccessive units in one line have each another unit laterally adjacentthereto, buton alternate sides of said line, each unit having sustainingplatforms movable in an oblong path.

2. In a garage, a series of car elevating and parking units, whereinsuccessive units in one line have each another unit laterally adjacentthereto, but on alternate sides of said line, each unit havingsustaining platforms. I

In testimony whereof'I have hereunto subsciribe'd my name.

JOSEPH L. LYNCH.

